In this film, Jesse James does indeed meet a Frankenstein, except it is the Baron’s granddaughter, not his daughter. A small distinction, perhaps, but it would sound odd if the title had said ‘granddaughter’ instead and might lead people to think this was an entirely different type of movie. Suffice it to say, it does lead people to believe exactly what it implies, that it is some sort of strange, western-horror hybrid, and that is true. It also implies that it is all a bit ridiculous, and maybe on some level, it is. The fact of the matter is that despite it being a little silly in nature and on face value, it is not all that bad.

What is quite interesting about this affair is that director William Beaudine plays it straight, not as campy and as absurd as one might think it to be. Perhaps the film is not so interesting as it is strange, as the audience might wonder how it is that Beaudine merged the two genres. Working from a story by Carl K. Hittleman, though, Beaudine does just that. After a little bit of a twist, the picture finds Jesse James on the run and finding himself in a little town which also happens to be the current home of Maria Frankenstein and her brother, who have been trying to continue their grandfather’s experiments out in the desert and away from prying eyes. Questions are something they do not need, and yet, after numerous children have gone missing, some wonder just what is happening in their small village. Soon enough, Jesse finds himself entangled in the affairs of the Frankenstein’s while trying to evade the law.

Those who tune in will notice that this movie was made with little budget. Despite that, there was not much needed for the special effects as they were few and far between. The monsters Maria created required nothing more than a few stitches in the way of makeup, and aside from her lab, the sets were fairly plain and unassuming. As for the cast, they did a good job with the material given. This was not Shakespeare by any means, nor was it a big-screen blockbuster, and it showed from the first frame to the last. The cast was able to be sure, and even though the material was not the best one would ever see in a film, it was definitely not the worst. There might have been a few plot holes here and there, the story a little foolish perhaps or even nonsensical, but the intent was there, and most of it managed to work. The western and horror genres meshed well together, and Beaudine, despite setting it at a fairly methodical pace, would highlight them both.

Bad movies have a certain kind of charm, at least so far as when some effort is put into them. Here, the makers of Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter did not set out to intentionally make a bad film despite the budget and incredibly short shooting schedule. Shot in eight days, allegedly, the movie could have used a little extra time and care to make it a little more than a B picture. As such, one could point out numerous things that did not work, such as the monster not being the least bit frightening.  On the other hand, some things did work, which maybe do not get talked about enough. Underneath it all, there were good bones that could have been built upon, and at the end of the day, it was both enjoyable in a fashion and entertaining and is worth a look for the strange little picture that it is.

2.5 out of 5